


relax, I'm safe

by elysian_qc



Category: Scorpion (TV 2014)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 21:35:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9923030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elysian_qc/pseuds/elysian_qc
Summary: Walter can't believe how horrible this case went.





	

Walter can’t get the image out of his head.

  
The image of her face etched with nothing but pure dread and panic. Her hazel eyes glazed over with the trepidation of not seeing the light of tomorrow. Her lips quivering with the effort of holding back sobs, all pigment had vanished from her usually bright cheeks.

  
He could shake it from his mind. And he tried, _god he tried_. He hated seeing her like that. He hated seeing Paige being manhandled by the gunmen, the cold metal of the gun pushed against her forehead with the gunmen shouting out _Stay back or I shoot!_ Over and over, a repetitive mantra from someone who was obviously not in a rational place, if the bloodshot eyes and crazed, disheveled look wasn’t enough evidence.

  
It was supposed to be a simple case. Him and Paige go to the bank so he could see if the tech problem really was a problem and Paige would make sure he didn’t make people want to commit murder.

  
But of course the problem was actually quite a serious hack done only a day prior to knock out the cameras surrounding the place so the brawn of the whatever pair committing the crime could rob the bank without getting caught on camera.

  
Paige and him just happened to be right in the center of the fray.

  
He had picked and prodded at every memory of Toby’s psychobabbles for any sort of idea of how to calm the robber down, his brain almost short circuiting when the robber grabbed Paige and whipped the gun against her temple with so much anger fueling the force Paige’s balance was knocked out and she fell to the ground with a resounding thud.

  
Walter couldn’t do anything as the robber forced Paige back up, holding the gun to her temple menacingly, the robber’s eyes flicking to the back where Walter knew the vault resided and back to where he and the other patrons of the bank were huddled in a corner, out of view.

  
Everything next had happened so fast, a hazy blur in his memory.

  
The only clear thing was the sound of the gunshot.

* * *

 

“Walter?”

  
The older genius turned to face Ralph. He seemed so small in the hospital chair, his wide blue eyes had an aged innocence in them that Walter was always impressed by. But now they held an anxiety that Walter wished he could take away.

  
“Yeah, buddy?” His voice bordered on a whisper, the dark hospital room too quiet and peaceful to risk breaking in anyway.

  
Ralph’s voice trembled, his eyes glassy. “Mom’s gonna be okay, right?”

  
Walter swallowed, something in chest tight with the resolve not to cry. He knew Ralph had probably already gone over the statistics multiple times, snuck a look at her chart and maybe even hacked in to the hospital when he was using his phone before, he knew that the genius in Ralph knew that Paige was going to make it. That the bullet missed any vital organs and she should be waking up soon.

  
But Ralph was also a ten year old boy sitting a hospital room at eleven at night waiting for his mother to wake up from going into surgery because she had _just gotten shot_.

  
Walter locked eyes with the young genius. “She’s going to be okay, Ralph.’‘ He pulled Ralph closer. ’'I only state facts, remember?”

  
Ralph offered a small smile, still looking unsure. Walter couldn’t blame him. He was the same when Megan was sick. Always leaning on the facts and statistics, but still couldn’t quite quell the anxiety he got when he was faced with the reality of his sister dying.

  
There was a silence for a few moments. Ralph leaning against Walter’s side, and Walter just holding Paige’s hand, gazing at her sleeping form and willing her to wake up, no matter how much that little logical voice in the back of his head was telling him she would awake on her own time.

  
She looked serene, Walter noticed. Not a crease or wrinkle to be seen on her bare, make up free face. Completely at peace in her sleep. Walter tried to memorize this, this moment, in some sort of desperate attempt to drown out the image of her absolutely terrified.

  
He felt Ralph hide a yawn, putting more of his weight against him.

  
“You can go to sleep.” Walter points out, though he knew Ralph would probably refuse.

  
“No, not till she wakes up.’' Ralph shook his head stubbornly, yawning again.

  
Walter simply nodded, accepting it.

* * *

 

It was nearly one in the morning and Paige was still asleep, Ralph’s exhaustion had worked against him and he passed out almost half an hour ago. Walter still held her hand, almost delicately, relishing in her warm flesh against his, a sign she was here and _alive_.

  
Walter himself felt like he was about crash when he felt Paige’s hand twitch in his.

  
Everything was frozen, his mind short circuiting in not exactly shock, but the unexpected surprise of it.

  
Being careful of Ralph against his side, Walter forced his chair closer to the bed, squeezing her hand.

  
’'Paige?” he whispered her name like it was salvation on his lips.

  
Her eyelids fluttered slowly, he was only able to catch glimpses of her hazel orbs.

  
“Bright.” she rasps, wincing as she shifted in the bed. “Hurts.” her voice was hoarse from disuse, scratchy and barely there.

  
Walter brushed his thumb along the curve of her hand. “Hold on.’' He carefully laid Ralph back against his chair so he could dim the lights.

  
He turned back to her and finally, finally, saw her eyes, wide and open and looking right up at him and he swears his heart stops.

  
’'Walter…” She murmurs, her voice soft and feather light. He can feel her hand grip his even tighter. “Are you okay?”

  
Walter could laugh. She just got shot and the first thing she asks about is his well being.  Then again, he still feels something akin to anxiety bubbling beneath the surface.

  
“I’m fine.” he lies. “What about you?”

  
Paige gives him a small grin and Walter suddenly sees where Ralph gets his mousy features from. “The drugs seem to be doing a pretty good job.”

Walter chuckles softly, his thumb running circles over her skin.

  
“Walter,” Paige speaks suddenly, her eyes glinting with a knowing look. “ _Are you okay?_ ”

  
Walter freezes cause of course she’s not gonna let him get away that easily, even when she’s confined to a hospital bed.

  
There is dead silence. And Walter shifts in the uncomfortable chair, the plastic digging into him, his teeth attacking the inside of his cheek. His eyes avert quickly cause he can’t help it, _it’s instinct_.

  
“Walter,” Paige says his name again and he feels vulnerable and naked under her gaze. “Talk to me.”

  
And the dam doesn’t exactly break quite then, but it definitely cracks, a brand new fissure.

  
“I-I couldn’t,” Walter starts and pauses. His throat is suddenly dry, his tongue like sandpaper, and his 197 IQ brain can’t seem to form words.

  
“I couldn’t do anything but watch.” Walter continues, a heavy lump forming in his throat. His mind flashes back to the gun against her head and the sobs trapped in her throat.

  
“I haven’t once in my life felt an emotion like that before, of that proportion before.” Walter sniffles and can feel his eyes well up, his tears burning like acid as he remembers the pure fear filtering through his system. ’'And I don’t know how… to explain this. I’m not good with-“

  
Paige stops him with a whisper. ’'Walter, relax, I’m safe.” Her voice is silk and soothing and Walter _melts_.

  
Walter bows his head, a salty tear rolling down his cheek and he stares at it splash onto the tile of the floor.  There is suddenly a warm albeit shaky hand on his cheek, her other still gripping his hand. “Look at me,”

  
Walter hesitantly lifts his head, and sees Paige has tears mirroring his own. She leans in, and Walter can see her visibly wince at the movement but says nothing.

  
And then her lips on his and the salt of her tears mingle with his own and after this long and _horrible_ day Walter finally feels _relief_.


End file.
